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GYM: Don't Think Twice
What is this? GYM's lights are on? But Kalib, Tatsuya, or Eito aren't home.
Actually, it was just Izumi. She wasn't even training so much as sitting around looking over a card.
"I hope this works, people should come along if the door's open."
It was true, she literally had the door held open with a chair. Anyone who breaks it was going out of their way now.
*Marisa walks onto the scene...and the door gets vaporized*
...umm... I'll just uhh...
*Marisa plops a large bag of yen where the door was*
...I did absolutely nothing... I'm terribly sorry about that, I have no idea what happened.
*Marisa walks off into a corner of the GYM and sits down, putting herself in a time out.*
Sitting on one of the chairs inside GYM was a scientist, typing away furiously on his laptop. He'd been sitting back in a corner for a few hours, almost unseen by anyone. Occasionally he'd look up, glancing around to see who else was in the room, before continuing to type.
... And if the timing is just right, then I could easily formulate a product based on these four conditions, but how to go about the link between them...
Wha... hey! Door breaker!
Izumi shouts out the door at Marisa.
I'm sorry! I don't know what happened! I'll go get a new one if you really want me to, okay? I really have no idea what just happened.
A young woman wanders into... Why is the door gone? Well, either way, the girl walks into the place with a curious look on her face. On one hand, she really shouldn't use her powers looking like this, on the other nobody in this town seems to care about that. She'd walk up to... Izumi, and smile for a moment.
"Um hi, name's Taylor and um... I guess I hear this place is filled with people who've got superpowers? Rumor has it there's a lot of that kinda training going on in this building, I don't guess you'd know anything about that?"
Despite attempts otherwise, she'd sound awkward and unsure of herself at the moment. She's fidgeting with her hair here and there, and all around can't seem to stay still as she looks at Izumi warily.
*A certain crazy cowboy named Naby enter the GYM*
Hello GYM!
*Naby would laugh after saying that... with pretty much no reason to even laugh in the first place*
[A white haired man wearing a gold chain with a strange logo on it around his neck and black and white clothes enters GYM with a yawn. He looks awfully tired.]
"Heya guys..."
Eureka! Finally, some solid progress! Now, to test the fruits of my labor.
The lab coat-clad man would finally stand up, closing his laptop and placing it inside his lab coat. He then walks over to the group of people already inside GYM, waving as he approached.
Excuse me, my good fellows, could I ask a favor of one of you?
I require a sparring partner to test out one of my latest advancements. I do hope one of you wouldn't mind being a part of that.
(edited by Achroma)
Huh? Superpower training.
Seeing the awkward girl Izumi would look toward the door, and toward everyone else gathering for a moment.
Um.... yeahhhh.... sometimes?
[Guzma was about to randomly pass out until he heard scientist speak. He hasn't had a battle in a long time, so he'd might as well fight him just to have a battle for once.]
"Hey, ya said that you need sparrin' partner, right? Cause if that's the case, then I'd be willin' to fight ya."
Hmm...well...I do need to test my might against some people...so if anyone wants to spar with me, please tell me. I'll do my best!
*Marisa gets out of her corner and near where everyone is...and the door she somehow destroyed by just walking in, getting a little nervous around it*
The scientist squints his eyes as he looks over Guzma from head to toe, before shrugging and smiling at him.
Of course, and I'd be grateful for your assistance in this matter.
Now, to the arena.
He motions for Guzma to follow him into the large open battlefield. He takes his place on one side of the battlefield, pulling a small ball out of his coat, which expands into a familiar white and red baseball-sized ball upon a button press.
For a moment Taylor closes her eyes, focusing as she searches for... Ah! Suddenly a swarm of various bugs would begin flying through the doors of GYM, just about... 500? She's not counting that closely, but it serves as a showing.
"Kinda a lame power I know, but I can control insects... So um, I've kinda been looking to practice, if that's alright?"
The girl rubs the back of her head for a moment, averting her eyes and digging through her backpack to find a simple stun baton inside it. It's nothing fancy, but it'll do for a simple sparring match, besides her swarm is meant to do most of the work.
[Guzma follows the scientist the arena and walks to the opposite side of him. He too pulls out a similar small ball, pressing the button on it, causing it to grow into a black, white, and gold ball. The sight of the man's red and white ball catches Guzma's eye, causing him to chuckle a bit.]
"So, you're a trainer too, huh? If that's the case, then this battle should be a wild one! Now prepare to feel the wrath of ya boy, Guzma!"
[Guzma throws his ball in the air then catches it, pointing it towards the scientist.]
The man chuckles, placing his index finger on the bridge of his glasses.
Oh course, it was you after all, Guzma. The infamous leader of that little gang in Alola. I will say, I'm a shocked that here is our first meeting, of all places.
I suppose I should introduce myself as well. My name is Colress, and I hail from Unova. I'm a scientist, researching the power of Pokemon.
Ah, what a subject, the power resting within Pokemon! It's become my mission in life to understand the strength within Pokemon, and how to withdraw it. My most recent development was... the bond between Trainer and Pokemon! That is, until today.
Colress laughs again, tossing his Pokeball into the air. In a flash of light, a small orange and blue being appears, zipping around the air freely.
I would like to ask we keep this battle short. How does 2 Pokemon each sound?
(edited by Achroma)
Uh-uhm.....
Izumi would almost visibly gulp.
It's a good intimidation tactic at least. I suppose you can practice here.
Taylor lights up for a moment, dragging Izumi off to a sparring ring as the swarm hovers above both of them. She'd stop pulling and walk to the opposite side of Izumi, looking over at the other girl with a grin on her face.
"Okay, I haven't been in a bunch of Cape fights or anything so uh you probably don't need to go all out, but let's do our best anyways! I wanna see what people around here can do... That said, you can go ahead and start!"
The girl assumes a fighting stance, stun baton crackling with electrical light as she eyes Izumi carefully. Beyond that obvious move, however, a few gnats would break off of Taylor's swarm, 5 total all aiming to land on the other girl's clothing and keep track of her... No need to just say she can use them as a form of sight, right?
Hmm...I guess I'll sit and watch for now...
*Marisa pulls up a chair and gets a notebook out along with a piece of coal.*
"Listen man, Team Skull disbanded after that kid and his other little friends came in and screwed everything up, so I'm not really a leader of anything right now."
[Guzma throws his ball on the ground, making a blue light coming out of it, forming into the shape of a Golisopod.]
"Also ya said that you're from Unova, right? I've heard that their criminal organization was brutal."
[The blue light from the ball fades away, making Guzma's Golisopod appear.]
"And I'm down with using 2 Pokémon, because I'm gettin' kinda tired."
(edited by -Guzma-)
Ah, yes, Team Plasma. They're a former employer of mine, actually. But that's a tale for another time.
If it's all right with you, let's begin!
Colress extends his hand out towards the battle dramatically, a confident smile growing on his face.
Rotom, use Shadow Ball!
The orange spark acknowledges the order with a burst of electricity, before it begins to form a ball made of shadow which it then launches at the Golisopod.
Izumi is abruptly dragged to the arena, she never asked for this!
W-wait! I never said!
And then she's in the arena and the girl is already sending bugs at her. Izumi digs frantically into her bag, eventually grabbing the Magician out, using it to shoot a flame cone at the approaching bugs!
Okay I guess I'm fighting.
[Golisopod guards against the shadow ball, only taking 15% of his health.]
"Nice one. Now give 'em a First Impression, Golisopod!!"
[Golisopod kindly approaches Rotom, trying to catch him off guard, before giving the Rotom a deadly punch.]
Rotom takes the hit as the Golisopod smacks it in the face with First Impression. It backs off a bit, waiting for orders.
Tsk, an expected move, but not a pleasant one. Now, Rotom, use Will-o-Wisp!
Rotom lets out a sequence of electric noises that sounds almost like a giggle, before it flings a ball of flame at Golisopod, attempting to Burn it.
How in the hell did she spot those... Good eyes, and some kinda blaster power too. Unlucky for Izumi the tiny bugs aren't easy to hit in such small numbers. Instead, they'd simply land on Izumi's clothing and track her movements for Taylor. The larger swarm, however, has to quickly break up and dash away in order to evade the flames rushing at them, some falling to the ground as burnt out husks in an instant.
"Fire huh!? I've seen people with powers like that before, fought one too once actually... He was nasty, could regen too had to pump him full of all kinds of poisons to put that one down!"
With that cheerful thought in mind, Taylor would call in some more bugs from outdoors and add them to her swarm. Mostly she's focused on attacking Izumi with about a couple dozen wasps that would aim to sting at the girl's face and shoulders. Taylor herself spreading out the swarm and covering herself in it, a thick cloud of bugs keeping Izumi from tracking her movements as the girl rushes forward to her foe.
[As the Will-o-Wisp hits, Golisopod catches on fire. Guzma shoots a grin at Colress.]
"Ya think a little fire can just hurt us? Well that's where you're wrong, buddy. Golisopod, Swords Dance!"
[Trying to ignore the fire, Golisopod clashes his fists together sharply raising his attack power. The fire also hurts him a bit.]
Colress laughs again, outstretching his arms towards the sky.
Ah, yes, this wonderful battle is just beginning. Now, let's show them our power Rotom! Use Hex!
Rotom once again lets out a laugh-like sound, before creating a large shadowy eye above itself. The eye then releases a wave, causing Golisopod to feel the pain of it's burn doubling the damage of the attack.
(edited by Achroma)
Hmm...
*Marisa sketches what she sees with the coal, trying to capture the spirits of what she's sketching*
Poison!? Is this girl for real? Probably since she's now sending wasps at her!
I can do more than that, too!
She hurries to grab the first card she can, Justice! As a trio of light swords burst out around her, she seriously targeted herself?! Well, she's standing still so as not to walk into the swords. High ris, very high.
"Dang... What kinda Cape are you? Usually, powers aren't this broad, unless you're something else entirely!?"
Despite being bad with people, the girl sounds far more comfortable and cheerful dealing with fights and superpowers. Sadly the initial wasp attack is cut to ribbons by Izumi's blades... Hmm, what to do? Blinding, force the girl to move into her own attacks. A large swarm of about 200 mixed incests would rush toward Izumi, aiming to cover the girl and begin stinging and biting at her. Taylor herself is nearby at this point, she'd wait outside of the swords with her baton ready, standing to the left side and sending her swarm from the other direction to hopefully force her foe out toward herself.
"I have to admit, with powers like mine all I can really do is keep tabs on people unless I start getting kinda brutal! I uh, don't aim to be a walking horror show, it's just... Ya know, bugs are spooky. I used to be scared of them too actually!"
"Heh, ya still think that your fire can still do stuff? Pssh, Golisopod us-"
[Guzma's sentence gets interrupted by Golisopod going back into his ball on his own. It looks like he has made an EMERGENCY EXIT.]
"Ugh, I hate it when he does that!!"
[Guzma pulls out another Pokéball and enlarges it before throwing it on the battlefield. A blue light comes out of the ball, forming into an Aridos.]
"It looks like it's still my turn. Now come on Aridos, use Shadow Sneak!"
[Aridos disappears from the battlefield and reappears behind Rotom, attacking it.]
(edited by -Guzma-)
Rotom flies forward as the Ariados attacks it from behind. It falls on the ground, no longer able to battle.
Ah, Rotom!
Colress pulls back out Rotom's Pokeball, returning it into the ball with a red light.
Unfortunately, Rotom isn't the most durable... but it did a swell job.
He pulls out another, before enlarging it and tossing it out into the air. With a flash of light, a large blue and yellow eel appears, hovering over the ground as if submerged in water. It lets out a battle cry, before putting up it's large hands, ready to fight.
All right, Eelektross, it's up to you. Use Flamethrower!
It nods, turning and pointing it's mouth towards the Ariados to unleash a stream of flames.
A giant insect swarm, and a master that isn't attacking directly. Something was odd here but Izumi wasn't sure which part. Stepping back from the swords as she grabs for another card.
So... you use these to keep tabs on things, huh?
[Aridos tries to dodge the attack, but he gets hit, causing a chunk of his health to go away. Aridos also gets knocked back towards Guzma.]
"Grr, come on Aridos, get up!"
[Aridos slowly stands up once again, with a pained expression in his eyes.]
"That's the spirit! Now give 'em a Sucker Punch!"
[Aridos rushes towards Eelektross and quickly attacks it before it could attack him again.]
"Yup! I can see through them too, it's a pretty neat trick to have honestly... Hmm, maybe I shouldn't explain but uh it's fine I guess!"
Despite not having attacked head on up to now, suddenly the girl surges forward with Izumi away from her blades. She's taking a risk with this, but her swarm splits up into a few groups, one heading right for Izumi's face to try and blind her, another is aiming to bite into the hand holding that card and get it away. Finally, some would rush at her back and begin biting away, Taylor herself charges forward and aims to slam the stun baton into her foe's chest, finishing it off by sending her left leg out to try and trip the other girl up before quickly aiming to back away some as her swarm flies up to the ceiling.
"My power isn't just controlling masses of bugs, it's sensing through them and being able to multitask well enough to control these guys well! I can control each and every one of them on an individual basis while fighting myself... Honestly, it's enough to spook me a bit sometimes, but I can't deny how helpful my powers are when I think a bit!"
Hmm...yeah, yeah, and this...maybe I should use a bit of color...
*Marisa starts adding color using some magic while still sketching out the fights.*
The Eelektross simply stands there, taking the blow. It barely budges as Ariados hits it straight on. It then lets out a loud roar, before grabbing the spider with it's large hands.
Thunderbolt!
Eelektross squeezes down on Ariados, before unleashing mass amounts of electricity directly into it from it's body.
Neat trick, huh? I'm guessing your little General trick is why you've been hanging out back there, huh?
Not knowing the bugs are coming for the card, Izumi still puts it away. Pulling out a new one. Judgement.
This card again? Well, I guess it had better work now.
She holds out the card, which glows for a moment before shifting its face into the Aeon. Huh, that's a new trick. However, it's a trick that takes long enough for Izumi to get chest-bashed as her sword appears in her hand.
Oof!
She's then tripped up, landing on the ground. Did the gamble fail...? Find out next turn!
Colress sighs, pulling out Eelektross' Pokeball and returning it with a red light.
If you wish. Unfortunately, I was unable to test my new discovery, but I suppose that's how life is.
If you'll excuse me, I still have unfinished work to do. It was good to finally meet you, Guzma.
He waves goodbye, before returning to the main room. He grabs a coffee from the counter inside, before sitting back down on the chair in the corner and bringing out his laptop, typing away again and gradually drinking his coffee.
(edited by Achroma)
Taylor runs, being near an unknown Cape with powers she has only very vague ideas about us a foolish move. Even more so given she has a near limitless supply of minions to toss at people. Once again a cloud of bugs covers the girl and masks her movements, it'd spread out over her and cover about 15 feet. By the time they're gone Taylor would still be rushing away from her foe.
"Ya know, it's a stupid move for a Master to get up close! Even more so when they have no clue what they're doing, I blame it on the fact that all my good attacks involve hitting someone or poisoning them a lot, and since you aren't trying to kill me the second is ruled out!"
Instead of getting near, she'd attempt to cover Izumi's entire body in bugs. Crawling and bitting and stinging all along the girl without even a hint of care for their own lives. All told it's a few hundred of the damn things. Taylor herself would simply be observing through them and staying in motion, clearly hoping to evade a possible ranged attack by making herself an annoying target.
Wait, don't we have revival items around here? Honestly, I know the point of sparing is to not kill, but with revival items the whole death thing is kinda moot. I mean, I get that they're expensive and all, but still. Meh, whatever. Not my job to point stuff out.
*Marisa keeps sketching and coloring*
Ah yes, sweet victory. The bug-covered form of Izumi.
Oh, and also, incoming Izumi from directly above you. Slashing downward. A slight glowing about her.
It is stupid, good thing I have means of getting close to you!
It was only after the slash was completed and Izumi hit the ground that the bugs collapsed out of their current form to end up flat on the ground.
Not entirely sure why, but it seems Judgement was the key.
Taylor rolls forward, Izumi's blade slashing into her shoulder as she dashes ahead in order to evade most of the blow. Mover power too, what the hell kinda grabbag is this girl? Either way, there's a bit of a cut in her right shoulder at this point...
"Damn, next time I come here I really need to wear my costume! Spidersilk is really tough ya know, that stuff would be neat to have right about now with the swords and all."
Yet again a cloud of bugs takes shape before breaking off, this time they'd head for Izumi's ears and starting biting into those. Not enough to do damage, but it should freak the other girl out. Taylor's true goal however is to rush forward and slam her stun baton into her foe's sword hand, electrical energy rushing through it as she brings the weapon down. Hopefully the impact and jolt cause Izumi to drop her weapon, at which point Taylor would try to grab hold and toss the blade behind her.
"Being close isn't my favored place, but I do know a bit about fighting! It'd be stupid to think that I'll never have to protect myself from people who get past my bugs! I mean, some people back home can teleport and crap too so this isn't that shocking."
As the bugs approach, Izumi actually lunges forward. Warping forward instead of moving normally.
Woah.... this is crazy. Imagine if I combined this with a melee-oriented form....
Her thought process is interrupted when the stun baton comes at her. She warps forward again!
Too slow!
And then she warps right up to Taylor, delivering a slash, and warping to another spot to slash again. Like some... crazy... obnoxious...warping.... thing. More confusingly, she seems to leave a ghost of herself behind every time she moves.
Of course her fun comes to an end when the Aeon card abruptly disappears from where she left it.
The ghosts would fool most people, but Taylor's bugs can tell those are fake without even a second glance. Instead, she'd spread them out and focus her awareness on guessing where those attacks will come from, her swarm can tell her where they come from, but she's got no inhuman speed to react with.
"That's one hell of a Mover power, it's those cards isn't it? Each one is pretty much another set of powers, that's why they don't seem to have any rhyme or reason to the set you use."
She can't block everything, one of the slashes easily cuts into Taylor's left arm as she darts away from it, despite trying to dodge her lack of speed is a clear issue right now... Finally, however, she'd block the blade, electrical energy rushing from her baton and hopefully giving the weapon's holder a jolt as her swarm piles on the no longer moving foe. This time more wasps would rush at Izumi, about 50 compared to the smaller number from before each and every one aiming to jab their stingers into the girl's back as she "blade locks" Taylor at the front.
"That one seems weird though, runs out or something hmm? The good thing about my powers, they're pretty hard to run out of. I've never even gotten a headache like most people with mental powers do!"
You're starting to catch on. Each one is its own spell. That one I actually thought of after hearing about this lady that apparently used to be all over here. Apparently she was big into magic, too.
Izumi lets her guard down, though, and the blade lock connects. Though she very quickly drops her sword once the bugs approach.
I think the best part of your powers is how unless you're fighting in space, you're never running out of ammo for this stuff. Though I could probably counter these bugs pretty easily if I used Ice Form. Better armor in that one.
"Magic? Isn't that... Nah, this isn't Earth Bet, can't assume that every dimension out there is the same as my home, hell Aleph doesn't even have any kinda powers so I guess magic isn't that shocking in another unknown Earth!"
The girl takes Izumi dropping her weapon as a chance to try and jab her baton toward the girl's chest and then quickly send her left fist slamming toward the girl's face. Her wasps on the other hand simply keep rushing toward her, as usual, Taylor's bugs couldn't care less for their safety.
"So magic is a thing here... Huh, I may want to learn more about that myself. Back home it was all superpowers, which while Capes can do things that might as well be magic, there's always a tiny bit of logic to it somewhere."
Well for your own saf-ugh!
Ouchie ow, Izumi got batoned in the chest again, and punched in the face.
For your own safety, make sure to avoid anything offering contracts. Oh, and don't freak out when people start summoning Demons. Or the other thing that looks like a Demon.
As she's explaining this, she's rummaging through her bag for something.... and finds it! Fortune! Which is actually less random than Judgement. But it's more boring because it just makes.... oh wait, a tornado.... around Taylor.... which probably sweeps up the bugs as well... Hey that might actually be productive!
"Don't worry about it, I'd have just assumed they were some kinda Master power anyways, constructs of varying forms aren't that absurd for Earth Bet... Long story short, we've known there are other dimensions out there for a while so I try to take things in stride, never thought I'd see one though."
For some reason she's not really liking that card, instead, she'd have her bugs start rushing for the thing and aim to grab hold of Izumi from behind, assuming the girl success she'd knee Izumi a few times before trying to toss her down to the ground, fighting fair isn't really her strong suit after all.
"Honestly, I only got these powers a few months ago. I've been out in costume all of five times before ending up here, so I can't really call myself experienced, you?"
Wow, fighting dirty, huh? Well they'd succeed... if they can survive the wind that is.
I've done mostly fighting here.... I'm actually still making these things, honestly. When I got here I only had two gems and a few cards. Though I'm out of "costume" way more often than I'm in it.
The wind is... Annoying, her bugs are pretty damned helpless against it and till they die down Taylor's forced to just have them try to hide up in the rafters. The girl herself, however, isn't so easily stopped, and given how close she is to Izumi with that grab attempt sending wind at her would be a poor idea unless the other girl wishes to hit herself too. In short, the grabbing and slamming her knee into Izumi's back isn't stopped, but for now, the bugs aren't a threat.
"Fighting huh? Well, I do need to get better clearly, and as for my costume... It's just best to wear, some spider silk's crazy strong. Don't know if mine will stop a bullet, but it's at least enough to slow one down."
Ngh....
This is bad. No bugs or yes bugs, Izumi is getting beat hard by these underhanded tactics. What does Bug Girl think this is, a fighting game?
You're good at kicking, but your actual fighting could use some work. If this place's owner was here he'd beat you easy.
Izumi, to get out of this situation, uses the very wind she summoned. Using it to boost herself out of the arena and into the seating area. Time to see just how underhanded Taylor was.
Seating area, bugs can keep track of that pretty easy and given how far the other girl is by this point she's thinking it'd be best to play the long range Master instead of trying to rush head-on.
"Yeah, I didn't practice any kind of martial arts till I got my powers. I've picked up a bit over a few months of training from what I could convince my dad to let me take, so I'd expect someone who's been in a lot of real superpowered fights to beat me... Though, you might underestimate me a bit~"
The rafters were one decent place to hide bugs, but she placed those damn gnats on Izumi way back at the start of the fight, now all 5 of them would rush right into the girl's left eyeball at once and aim to distract her. At the same time, Taylor's larger swarm attempts to surge down onto Izumi from above, the girl clearly hoping that gnats in the eye will send those winds crashing down. If the many bugs reached Izumi, they'd quickly settle upon the girl and begin biting and stinging at her as usual, though there's thankfully nothing poisonous mixed in, don't want a Lung repeat let alone on someone without a healing factor.
"Fighting fair just won't work when your only power is to control bugs ya know? Everyone else has super strength, or teleporting, or fireballs, or building tech that makes normal stuff pale compared to it, me though... I gotta hit for wherever hurts or I'm just annoying."
Heh, well you have spirit at least. Though be careful with that not fighting fair thing, I'm pretty sure it's gotten people mistakenly labeled as evil before.
She laughs a bit, slicing at the incoming bugs as she backs further up.
For now, though, aren't we fairly evenly matched? Surely there's nothing to be gained continuing this.
The girl shrugs and calls her swarm out, the bugs flying away as her control over them fades away and she returns the stun baton to her backpack once more.
"Getting mistaken for evil... Yeah, that happened to me my first time out actually, got it sorted out by the end of the night but apparently swarming gangsters with masses of bugs is scary or something."
Taylor rubs at her left shoulder and arm, those cuts still hurt a bit... What she wouldn't give for healing powers right now, but these will have to do.
"Anyways, yeah I don't see a point in keeping it up myself. Hmm, maybe I need to get a ranged weapon of some kind, or... Well, I'll think about it later but for now, I'll see ya around Izumi."
With a wave to her "foe" the girl departs, wandering out of GYM and wondering where the hell to go next... Hmm, could always look around for some petty crime to bust, or very pointedly not think about going to school, that's always a good time. Either way, she's long gone after a while having walked in a random direction without much thought.
Appearing in a sudden flash of blue, a white-haired archer suddenly crashed on top of several equipment, breaking it and his fall.
Despite his sudden appearance, he appeared nonchalant as he remained on top of the make-shift broken equipment, eyes closed and uncaring..
A fairly middle-aged man walks through the door, a milk canister over his shoulder. It rattles and clanks as though something metallic is inside. Moments after entering, he sets the canister down with a hearty thud. He sits down on top of the canister and lets out a hearty sigh, probably exhausted.
"Huh... what adventures are in store for little ol' me today! I need to get earnin', maybe find a place to stay. Uh, what else've I got on my checklist of needs... Medical equipment? Yeah... Yeah... Yeah! That'll be a good source of earnin'."
With a terribly long yawn, the owner of GYM makes his way down the stairs and towards the drink counter. The sleep in his eyes is very apparent as the lights emphasize the tiredness on his face. A quick wave of his hand rubs the nastiness from the corners of his eyes as he reaches for the fridge. Or rather, he was going to before a loud clanging comes from behind him. With a quick turn, he addresses the man.
"Hello and welcome to GYM! Here you can hyaaaaaagh..."
Another yawn escapes the man's lips and he laughs shyly.
"Eheh...let me try again!"
He spins around and slaps his cheeks hard. A few moments, and a sniffle of pain later, he turns back to face Date with red cheeks.
"Good mornin'! Welcome to GYM! Here you can train to your heart's content and push your very limits! My name is Kalib, and I own this place alongside some of my friends!"
He takes a deep breath and flashes a warm smile.
"Pleased to meetcha!"
Taking a solid five seconds to register Kalib's greeting, he grins and turns his gaze toward the friendly owner.
"Yo! Nice to meetcha Cabel! The name's Akira, Akira Date. People call me Mr. Date, but Date is just fine. GYM, you say? Sounds like a place where my expertise would come in handy. 'Fore I came round here, used to be a medic. I've seen fightin' here too, new world same problems, am I right?"
He extends his hand for a handshake, his hands seem worn and calloused.
"So you've seen the darker side of things here, huh? And same problems as your home world..."
Kalib looks down to the floor for a moment, but quickly shakes his head and reaches his hand out for the shake. After a firm shake and a few seconds pass, Kalib lets go with a satisfied smile. Looking down at the hand he used, Kalib speaks.
"A medic, huh? I can only imagine the stuff you've seen...but that surely must be nothing compared to the feeling you got from saving people with your own hands, right?"
He clenches his hand into a fist and then releasing it once more.
"I want to be like that too. I'm only strong enough to reach out right now...but soon, I'll be strong enough! I just need to put in some extra elbow grease!"
Date's eyes widen, but not in surprise, more for the words Kalib had said.
"Listen, kid. Make sure you keep your heart with you. Don't need to be strong to make a difference, just need to care enough to do something. People seem to forget that all to often. Don't get me wrong, strength makes it easier to help people, yeah? Don't let that drive for strength take precedence over the drive to help people. Man, I think I'm not too cut out for being an adviser! I've got some time to kill, how about we have a go at it? I don't usually make assumptions, but I can guess you've got some superpower, right? If you're confident I might just have to go all out!"
Date gets off of his milk drum, and hefts it over his shoulder. He nods his head to the arena.
"Keep my heart with me?"
The words were simple enough, and the message after it was simpler. But the words struck a cord somewhere within Kalib as he stood there dumbfounded for a few moments. When he finally snapped himself out of the small daze, he beamed at the man.
"You don't gotta tell me twice, Date! And sure, I don't know if I can keep pace all that well, but I don't fight alone!"
With a newfound vigor for this early in the morning, Kalib follows Date towards the fighting stage. He does some quick stretches before bowing to his opponent.
"I'll show you that my heart won't falter in the pursuit of strength!"
He raises his dukes and keeps his legs spread a fair distance apart. His left leg edging forward with a slight bend to it.
Date pops the top off of the canister, revealing an odd device resting atop many silver medallions. He pulls the device out along with a single medal.
"You don't mind if I get ready, do you? Transform!"
He whips the belt attached to the device around his waist, and flips the medal. He places a medal into the slot opposite the side with a golden knob. As soon as the medal is in, he turns the knob three cranks, and the capsule in the center opens with a loud pop. It opens up, and several more capsules similar to it fly to the joints of his body, and one to the center of his chest. Beams of green light stretch between the capsule, materializing a metallic suit of armor. His face is still exposed, but soon from the armor, a helmet folds over his face, and the visor locks into place with a red light appearing along it.
"Well then, let's get earnin'!"
Medal Count: 24
He blinks once. Raising his left hand into a fist.
"..."
He blinks twice. Raising his right hand up, palm open.
"..."
He blinks a third time and punches his left hand into his right palm. A wide grin stretching from ear to ear.
"When the unusual becomes usual..."
A bright light flashes for a moment and a blue card begins floating down in front of Kalib. He reaches his left hand out and opens his hand beneath it.
"...that's when things start to get interesting!"
He crushes the card with ease and a wave of blue flame erupts around him. In that moment, a large figure appears behind Kalib. Standing just a head taller than the large man, the figure lacked any facial features save for piercing red eyes. The rest of the face, much like any exposed skin, would be a tangled cloud of darkness with some emanating off of the being. The large figure wore a standard suit of armor for most paladins, with a cape draped over his shoulders for effect. On his back was a large kite shield, on his left hip an olifant, and on his right was Durendal.
"A lot of people sure do like transforming. Maybe I should whip out the old Snow Ranger uniform again! Ehehe!"
He takes a breath and focuses on Date.
"This is Roland. My Persona. I'll explain the nitty gritty later, but for now..."
Kalib snaps his fingers as Roland grabs for his blade.
"I'll start by turning up the heat! Roland, INFERNO!"
The persona huffs in compliance as he slams his blade into the ground. Not a second later and pillars of flame begin erupting one after another towards Date.
Beneath his visor, Date's eyes widen.
"Can't say I was expecting that!"
Date inserts two medals into the slot, and turns the crank.
[CATERPILLAR LEG. DRILL ARM.]
He seems slightly damaged by the pillar, but he swiftly approaches Kalib, the drill spinning at high speed, and the treads of his legs kicking up large amounts of dust.
"I didn't really like goin' through that! Lemme give you somethin' just as unpleasant!"
He extends the arm with a drill on it toward Kalib as he approaches.
Medal Count: 22
"You know...the getting hit part never becomes anymore pleasant...does it? Ehehe..."
Kalib swallows hard as Date begins his assault. The sudden change in his form would catch him off guard and force him onto the defensive immediately.
"Roland, hinder his movement! Maegaion!"
Kalib charges towards Date as Roland raises his left arm.
The persona sends a stream of 6 tendrils of darkness towards Date in an attempt to break down the treads or slow them down at least. Kalib on the other hand would try to dive to the side only to have a good hit delivered to his shoulder. He rolls across the ground and quickly stands with a groan.
"So you can transform further, huh?"
Kalib reaches for the short sword on his back and holds it in his right hand. Allowing his wounded arm to rest some.
The treads go unhindered by the tendrils, as it quickly grinds them out. Date inserts one more medal into the belt, cranking it with his normal arm.
[CRANE ARM!]
"It really doesn't! This time I'm goin' on the offensive! Take this!"
The drill detaches from the arm, held by a cable. Date swings this around erratically, predicting it is likely useless. The drill remains spinning as it approaches Kalib.
"Oh and there's more! Of course there is!"
Kalib lets out an almost defeated sigh before laughing softly. He raises his blade and changes his posture to prepare for the impact. Roland stands where he was summoned, unmoving.
"But I wouldn't have it any other way! I'll burst right through my limits someday! Roland, Brave Blade!"
As the drill approaches Kalib again, he does his best to push the drill away from himself. However, try as he might, his blade just couldn't cut it and shatters from the force. This in turn allows another glancing blow to strike at the side of his face. He lets out a sigh of relief as he adjusts his glasses.
"Remember Date, I don't fight alone."
By now, Roland would have made it to Date from the rear and raises his blade as it shines with a white light. A huff is the last thing that can be heard as Roland brings his sword down.
Date barely manages to move out of the way, but not before whipping the drill toward Roland.
Roland's sword strikes the crane, shattering it off, and it vanishes in a flash of light.
"Looks like ya got me by surprise! Can't say I don't like a surprise!"
He retrieves a gun like object from the canister, and slides a cylinder full of medals across the top.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
He fires the gun at Roland, at least in an attempt to keep him at bay.
Medal Count: 18
Roland is forced to guard from the incoming projectiles. And can scarcely do anything but take the hits at the moment. Kalib sees another opening upon noticing Date's focus on Roland. It was a gamble though, how long can he use the same trick?
He shakes his head and quickly focuses a lot of energy into his right hand. The air above his palm would begin to crackle and pop before a small sun bursts forth. A satisfied grin crosses Kalib's lips as he clenches his hand shut, coating it in the fiery energy.
"Sensei Style: Flame Straight!"
He speaks softly as he charges towards Date, the flame around his hand growing into a larger fist. He aims to connect with Date's back, the largest target available.
"So, I'm curious...what are those coins?"
Date continues firing at Roland, but he seems to know the intent. He wheels backward on the caterpillar treads, and the moment he comes close enough to Kalib, he holds one of his legs up with the tread rapidly spinning.
"I told you I like surprises, but it's not a good surprise if it happens again!"
The dust raised by the treads seems to splash toward Kalib's face, too.
"These? They're cell medals! I don't get all the details, but it has somethin' to do with desire!"
(Suddenly, a 7'3 snake centipede hybrid is there, and he looks very annoyed)...ah for fucks sake...this is getting to tight,....
(edited by Reperzel)
"Ptou...bleh...it got in my mouth..."
Kalib makes some space between him and his opponent as the fiery fist shrinks into a small sun once more. He quickly spits out any extra dirt in his mouth before speaking once more.
"My bets were on that not working, I got greedy and I knew it. But as for those Cell Medals, they sound interesting."
Kalib opens his right hand into the shape of a gun, and the small sun positions itself at the tip of his index finger.
"Something to do with desire, huh? Well I met the embodiment of Greed before, so this shouldn't surprise me that much! Anywho..."
The orb of flame grows once more and begins spinning.
"I haven't used this trick in some time, I call it Open Fire!"
As he utters the words, a flurry of about 6 fiery spheres are launched at Date. Each one roughly 4 inches in diameter and would dissipate upon hit.
Date attempts to shoot them all down, but only hits four of them. The two remaining fireballs hit him square in the chest. He gets knocked back, and the legs seem to fall off and vanish.
"Time for me to use a secret trick, too!"
Date puts six cell medals into the the belt, and cranks it several times.
[CRANE ARM! DRILL ARM! CATERPILLAR LEG! BREAST CANNON! SHOVEL ARM! CUTTER WING!]
He seems to have obtained a form that is both bulky, and very powerful looking, as all his arms and legs are adorned with weapons. He has a cannon centered on his chest, and wings on his back. He begins to slide toward Kalib, and a red light appears on his chest. It begins to glow brighter and brighter, until it releases a beam of energy at him.
"Don't worry, I've toned it down a little!"
"Hngh!?"
Kalib throws up his right arm in a vain attempt at a block, however, even if he had both arms it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Roland would then move into action and step in front of the incoming beam. Still previously wounded by the projectiles, the beam would tear through the persona and soften the blow as it tosses Kalib back a few feet.
PERSONA BREAK!!
Kalib slides across the ground and rolls a few times, each one causing him to wince in pain. He finally comes to a halt and slowly rises to his feet. His face was odd though, he didn't wear an expression of pain or anger. He was smiling.
"Whew! How the hell am I going to beat that? You tore through Roland like paper! What an absolute powerhouse, Date! That suit of yours is beyond awesome!"
Suddenly, a light bulb goes on in Kalib's head. His smile only widens as he holds his left hand behind his back. A small tendril of darkness leaving his palm and working its way back to the juice counter, as if it were searching for something. Meanwhile, Kalib was doing his best to hide the tendril as he continued speaking.
"So what sort of stuff did you fight in your world? Must've been pretty big right? Guess I need to step it up!"
He raises his right fist defiantly.
The external arms vanish, but he keeps his suit on he raises the gun, and fires at the tendril.
“Sorry, pal. I’ve been in the field too long to not see these things coming from a mile away. Probably would have worked if you weren’t tryin’ to chat me up, eh? Say, what’re these things?â€
Date picks up a shard from the broken persona, and it changes quickly into a cell medal.
“And here I was thinkin’ I was in short supply! Buddy, you’ve done me a favor here, think there’s anything else I’d find like this?â€
Kalib laughs softly as he pulls a small bead shaped object from his pockets. He quickly pops it into his mouth and swallows it after a crunch. A white light bathes him as a majority of his wounds are at least sealed.
"You know, that was probably for the best. My next attack would've taken me out before it even hit you..."
He quickly walks over to where Date was and watches in astonishment as a shard from Roland becomes a Cell Medal.
"N-No way... what are the odds?"
Kalib ponders for a moment as he picks up one of the other shards, only for it to transform.
"These are fractions of my persona. You could almost say they're pieces of my shattered mind. Strange...last time they just faded and....wait a second!"
Kalib focuses hard for a moment as he calls upon Roland once more. However the strain was immense due to Roland's recent and untimely departure. A stream of blood would trickle down from Kalib's nose as the card appears before him. He lets out a sigh of relief before dismissing the card.
"Well that gave me a start..."
He wipes away the blood with a laugh.
"Last thing I needed was for you to take bits and pieces of Roland with you! And hey, if my persona got you these coins...a shadow should do the trick!"
“‘Shadow’? Sounds dangerous! Guess I can’t say danger and I aren’t acquainted! I’ll try and look into it. My supply’s been runnin’ low lately...â€
He disengages the belt, and returns to his normal human self. A bruise is on his nose.
“Well, much as I’d love to stay and chat, that fight took a lot outta me, so I’m gonna need to split, get a good rest. See ya!â€
With that he goes out of the door, canister in tow.
"I'll introduce you to some next time I see ya! Ciao Date!"
He waves the man off before returning inside and looking over the fight in his mind.
"What is it with men in belts and transforming?"
He smiles to himself before retiring to his office once more.